Star Wars: A Band of Brothers
by Sir Ludwig
Summary: The Clone Wars has been raging on between the Republic and Separatist Alliance for the past two years now, and there seems to be no end in sight. Unknown to either side was a world currently being held in the balance as the forces of good and evil battle for the fate of the continent known as Eostia. So what happens when a single event causes these two worlds to collide?
1. A World Under Siege

**DISCLAIMER: _I don't own a damn thing being used in the story._**

* * *

 **Diamondback Fleet, _Enduring Freedom_**

 **OUTER RIM, SECTOR 519**

Commander Iron wasn't much a believer in the idea of the galaxy turning into a better place after the war with the Separatist finally concluded. His time spent serving in the Grand Army of the Republic for the past two years led to such a thought process, especially when factoring in the nightmare known as war. No simulator, training course, or classroom, could even come close to preparing a freshly minted clone trooper for the awful reality where they would witness their brother-in-arms die before their very eyes. It resulted in Iron's initial excitement for battle to be torn to shreds following his first few combat engagements against the Separatist Alliance and their allies.

He knew there was no way around the awful truth many troopers would come to learn over the course of the war against an enemy who outnumbered them in every single battle. Yet, such a terrifying fact hardly swayed any troopers from wanting to join some of the legendary units like the mighty 501st Legion, the 212th Attack Battalion, or the 82nd Sky Corp. What trooper didn't want to be on the front lines fighting the good fight against the Separatist Alliance, wanting to help restore peace and stability back to the galaxy.

A flash of anger was hidden underneath Iron's helmet as he thought about the conflict he and his brothers have been fighting for the last two years.

' _We've been fighting battle after battle and nothing has changed between either side. Neither want_ _to_ _back down, regardless of how many lives have been lost in the process...all my brothers who spilled their blood in the name of peace_ ,' Iron scowled at the idea of the Republic or the Separatist finding any kind of middle ground for them to settle on, especially after hearing about the numerous secret meetings falling apart between the two sides.

His thoughts were cut-off when he heard someone, a crew member of the warship, yell, "We're about to come out of hyperspace, admiral!"

It reminded the clone commander about the events which had taken place a few days ago. The 82nd Sky Corp was given the task by the Jedi Council of taking Irus, a world on the edge of the Outer Rim, from the Separatist after getting reports about the infamous general Grievous using the world to resupply his fleet following a recent engagement in another sector. When both forces clashed, Iron knew their side was going to take heavy casualties during the assault and, as he expected, quite a few lives were lost in the process.

As for the outcome of the battle, it was debatable in the eyes of the Jedi Council, frustrated at knowing the droid commander had escaped their grasp once more. On the other side of the galaxy, the clones of the 82nd felt very differently about the battle as some would expect them to be in a good mood for taking another world from the Separatist Alliance. In fact, Iron knew if things were any different than a good portion of the men would have been drinking to their hearts content and letting themselves have some fun.

Defeat wasn't a word accepted by the _Screaming Banshees_ , the nickname given to the 82nd Sky Corp for their ferocious and unrelenting nature. Except, it seemed like the word manage to worm its way into the minds of thousands of soldiers, realizing Irus had cost them more than any other battle in the last two years of war. The loss of their general was felt throughout the entire unit from the grunts all the way to the veterans who have served the man since their unit was first created.

Most of all, commander Iron felt the most guilt as he was the general's second-in-command, someone who was supposed to keep the men going should anything happen to him in the long run. He lifted his head, seeing the numerous crew members performing their jobs, making sure the massive fleet of Republic warships were still on schedule to dock with the _Titan_.

He knew the crew purposely avoided him, not wanting to anger him or say something regretful. A part of Iron was thankful for them giving him some space as there was quite a bit of work to be performed when they arrived at the massive space station located deep in the Outer Rim, away from any real combat zones.

Everyone knew fighting the droid army meant being outnumbered in every single engagement by a factor of ten to one. There was nothing Iron or the rest of the clone army could do to prevent such odds from being stacked against them. All they could do was fight as hard as they can and use the training they received during their time on Kamino, the only place they could truly home.

"I want the _Enduring Freedom_ prepared to dock with the _Titan_ upon arrival via hyperspace. I want no issues, men!" Iron raised an eyebrow at the familiar accent of admiral Killian who was assigned to work with their unit for this operation.

The average height of a clone trooper tended to be about 1.83 meters tall. So when the admiral stood next to the clone commander, the older man turned out to be a bit shorter than him, only reaching Iron's shoulder. Like he always done before, Iron turned his head slightly and nodded, acknowledging the admiral's presence on the bridge of the Venator-Class Star Destroyer.

Killian was a man who hardly cared for the structure of command, especially when dealing with the Jedi Order. All he ever cared about was making sure his fleet was well-maintained and his crew well-disciplined in battle, unlike the vast majority of Jedi he's met over the years.

"Commander Iron, are your men prepared for our arrival at the _Titan_?" Killian questioned, curious to see the clone's state of mind. It wasn't every day a unit like the 82nd loses their Jedi general during the middle of battle against the droid army, forcing Iron to take the reigns of command at such a critical point.

"Yes sir," he simply replied. "My officers are starting to gather the men across the fleet. We'll be ready when we arrive at the space station."

Originally, the _Titan_ was built in orbit around a moon during the era of the Old Republic with the intention of being a long-range base for the Republic to use during times of war. It's capable of docking over a dozen Venator-Class Star Destroyers at one time, house thousands of troops, and provide support for any Republic forces operating in the Outer Rim. A facility which has become critical for the clone army as they continue to move on the Separatist forces hiding amongst the many worlds located in this region of the galaxy.

A crew member suddenly stood up from his seat, "Admiral! Commander! Our fleet is just about to leave hyperspace, sir. The _Titan_ has received our message; the defense fleet is aware our of arrival and welcomes us."

The admiral nodded, "Give them our thanks for welcoming us."

Soon the blue tunnel-like effect seen when traveling via hyperspace gave way to the cold, empty vacuum known as space. Off in the distance, Iron and Killian could see the space station which was surrounded by a fleet of Republic warships assigned to protect the facility from any Separatist attacks, which has happened on more than once occasion within the last few months since the enemy had caught wind of the station.

"How many times have the Separatist Alliance attacked the _Titan_? How many times have those blasted droids failed to break through the defensive line positioned here?" Killian knew the droids wanted to bring down the station as it was allowing the Republic to continue their offensive into the Outer Rim without needing to wait prolonged periods of time for supplies.

Iron found himself gazing the _Titan_ , remembering the few times their unit had stopped by for supplies, rest, or using it as a staging area for an operation. As for the admiral's question, Iron merely shrugged, "I doubt the Separatist are going to stop. A few of the crew on board talked about the last assault from the droids containing a few Providence-Class Carriers from what they told me."

The older man scoffed at the absurdity of the Separatist Alliance and their willingness to throw away droids, ships, and worlds. He was honestly questioning the goals of their enemy and how far are they willing to go in order to achieve them. Was it going to take total victory? Allowing the Republic to crumble from the inside? Or something else entirely?

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Still makes me wonder where the droids are getting all these warships. If they're able to throw away so many ships in battle, it makes me wonder how long until they start sacrificing worlds in the name of victory."

"Victory, huh?" muttered Iron, catching the attention of Killian. To hear the bitter tone from the trooper was enough to make the admiral wonder just how much their general meant to them.

Although, the admiral had to remember the controversy surrounding the clone troopers as many within the Republic frowned upon these soldiers, the very men who were laying down their lives in the name of victory. In the back of Killian's mind, he actually entertained the idea about the Separatist Alliance wanting to break away from the Grand Republic because of the very corruption and hypocrisy plaguing the government. Not only were men like Iron fighting and dying to help bring peace to the galaxy, but these so-called senators are going as far as using the clones as an actual reason for why the fighting has continued for the last two years.

Thankfully, Killian recalled the few interactions he witnessed between the men of the 82nd Sky Corp and their general. He could see how much the general cared about the troops under his command, a very rare thing to see as many Jedi tended to treat the clones like they're nothing more than expendable droids to throw away in battle.

"Commander, I'm not the most..." the admiral attempted to find the right word to describe himself, "...compassionate person in the galaxy. However, I do have to say this much; Pax Marshall had to have been the most interesting individual I've come to meet from the Jedi order. It gave me hope that not all Jedi are attached to a glorified education from thousands of years ago. He was different, and I hope your men keep his memory alive by continuing the fight."

The faceless helmet of commander Iron hid his sad smile, knowing they'll soon come under the new leadership of another Jedi sent by the Council, taking over the reins of general Marshall. He knew most of his men would be less than stellar at having a new leader, considering the legacy their general left behind with his death.

"We appreciate the sentiment and...we'll definitely honor the general in battle," Iron could see the smirk on the older man's face. "So thank you for the kind words, admiral Killian."

"No need to thank me, trooper," Killian shook his head. "If anything, I should be thanking you and your men for being good company. The 82nd is certainly better company than one would expect after hearing those rumors about you troopers being nothing but trouble for anyone."

Some troopers more than likely would have taken offense to the man's words. That isn't the case with Iron as he let out a chuckle as Killian's attempt to be humorous proved to be successful in the end.

Their conversation was soon cut short when a member of the crew approached the commander and the admiral. He saluted the two before looking directly at the clone trooper, "Sir, Shiv says he and his men needs to speak with you about something important. They informed me it was quite urgent for you to know."

Unlike most units, the 82nd Sky Corp was different for a few reasons such as being twice the size of a normal Sky Corp, utilizing an elite unit such as paratroopers, and even possessing two companies worth of ARC troopers to help alongside the normal troopers. Something their general was adamant on having as he could see the value of having such highly trained, highly dangerous, and well-armed soldiers who could lay waste to entire formations of droids, either on the front-lines or behind enemy lines.

Although, the clone commander didn't really have a clue as to what the leader of the ARC troopers needed from him. He knew Shiv isn't the kind of soldier to screw around about anything, making him wonder what was so important to need _the_ commanding officer of the entire Sky Corp to come down to the hangar to see whatever was so important to them.

"Fine," Iron sighed in irritation, deciding to put his troubles behind him for now as Shiv now had him growing curious as to what the ARC troopers needed from him. "Let Shiv know I'll be there in about five minutes."

"Right away, sir!" the crew member saluted before rushing back to a nearby communication terminal, letting the ARC commander know Iron was coming down in a few minutes.

' _On the bright side, it's something to keep me busy until we arrive at the station_ ,' Iron thought, trying to keep his mind from wandering to other places because the commander knew just how much work was ahead of him.

The bane of every officers' existence is paperwork, something Iron was going to be stuck doing for the next few hours upon arrival on _Titan_ , and dealing with the fresh recruits arriving from Kamino. These men are meant to replace their losses during the battle, but Iron was trying to find a logical reason as to why the 82nd Sky Corp was receiving reinforcements so quickly compared to the past.

Maybe it had something to do with the death of general Marshall? The Jedi Council being concerned about the _Titan_? Or are the _Screaming Banshees_ being prepped for a brand new assignment?

All these thoughts led him to realizing just how pointless it is to even question their situation. The only thing Iron knew was the Jedi Council is going to need the 82nd Sky Corp at their full strength for the near future as they were currently under his command until a new Jedi is placed in charge and can lead them into battle.

"Everything alright, commander?" Killian noticing the soldier's silence, wondering if he was thinking about more than whatever it is the ARC troopers want to speak to him about.

His question was met with Iron shaking his head, "Nothing for you to worry about, sir. If you'll excuse me, I have to go see what Shiv and his teams want from me."

With those final words, Iron dismissed himself and started walking out of the warship's bridge, heading for the blast doors on the other side. Reaching the doors, he reached for the console displayed on the side and typed in a few keys. Less than a moment later, they slid open and revealed the small hallway heading out of the bridge and towards the elevators.

Stepping into an elevator, the clone trooper was finally given the chance to think for a few minutes as he descended down to the hangar. Among the myriad of thoughts filling his head, there was one which stuck out compared to the rest; which Jedi would be selected to lead them?

' _Knowing our luck, the Jedi Council might pick someone incompetent to become our new general_ ,' a very possible reality as Iron heard about the stories of Jedi treating their troopers like living droids with some of the commands they're given in battle. One of the most extreme cases was during the initial invasion of Umbara, where the 501st Legion, usually led by Anakin Skywalker, had been replaced by a Jedi called Pong Krell.

Most troopers heard about the Jedi's betrayal shortly after the capital of Umbara had fallen from the combined force of the 82nd Sky Corp and 7th Sky Corp, operating under the command of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Looking back on the events to follow, Iron recalled just how _angry_ their general was with the Jedi Council for allowing someone like Pong Krell to slip through their notice, causing some concern within their ranks.

Placing his hands on the sides of his helmet, Iron lifted it up and examined the very piece of equipment that has defined him and his brothers throughout the war. Once a source of pride for him and his troops was now nothing more than a glorified target for allies and enemies alike. A frown made its way onto the man's face, realizing how little their lives have come to mean in the eyes of the Republic, the very organization they were fighting for.

He placed the helmet back on, "Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons..." Iron recalled a phrase from his general from when they first met, "...And they will follow you into the deepest valley."

It made Iron think back on why he and his men were fighting in the first place, and their only source of motivation was to follow Jedi General Pax Marshall.

 **...**

 **1st Fleet, _The Black Wolf_**

 **OUTER RIM, SECTOR 519**

"General, our fleet is just about to reach the defensive line of the _Titan_."

When Plo Koon was first contacted by the Jedi Council, he wondered the reason for the sudden contact from Windu and Yoda during the middle of a battle with Separatist forces. After they had explained the situation, the Jedi Master was at a loss when informed about the fate of his former Padawan; Pax Marshall, being killed in battle on the world of Irus. Although, he wasn't too happy with their decision to send him to _Titan_ shortly following the engagement between Separatist forces and his fleet.

"Thank you, commander Wolffe."

The Jedi watched as the crew of _The Black Wolf_ went about their business, performing their respective duties without much complaint or issue. He rubbed his forehead and focused back on the debriefing of what his ships had encountered during their patrol of the Bespin, a secluded gas giant.

"Now, where was I?" Plo Koon muttered before remembering where he left off, "...Ah yes, my fleet had arrived in the system following the suggestions from Master Fisto and Master Secura. They had been tracking down Separatist movement in the sector for the past few weeks now."

Plo Koon looked at the holograms of individuals such as Mace Windu, Yoda, and a few other Jedi present for the debriefing of their most recent engagements with the droid forces. All of them went on to report on their recent fleet activity as well as what trying to figure out the reasoning behind the sudden movements of Separatist warships in the sector.

"A reason there is perhaps," Yoda said, catching the attention of the other Jedi. "Something important we have to say."

When Yoda finished speaking, Mace Windu looked down at the oldest Jedi in their ranks. Realizing how futile it was to hide the truth of the situation, "Yes, Master Yoda is indeed correct. As you all know by now; Pax Marshall, general of the 82nd Sky Corp, was killed in battle recently."

Everyone, especially Plo Koon, wondered where they were going with this, "...I'm afraid to say we've been keeping the details of his death behind the curtains."

"What?" Plo Koon let out in disbelief. He placed his hands on the console and stared at the indifferent look on Windu's face, "For what reason is there to do such a thing?"

Nearly everyone in the briefing knew this matter was between Plo Koon and the Council as they hid the details of the regarding his former Padawan's death. Deciding to give these three individuals some space, the other Jedi left the meeting and left only Plo Koon, Mace Windu, and Yoda to speak on this situation without any witnesses. It wasn't uncommon for some masters to struggle with the idea of letting their Padawan go. While they knew Plo Koon was devoted to the teachings of the Jedi Order, there was no doubt in their minds about the strong bond forged between the teacher and the student.

Mace crossed his arms over his chest, "Master Plo Koon, you need to understand that the Council was getting desperate to capture...or kill general Grievous. For weeks, our intelligence units struggled to find any trails that could lead us to the droid commander."

"What changed?" Plo Koon asked.

"Our intelligence finally manage to pinpoint the location of the general. He had his fleet just stationed in orbit around a world on the very edge of the Outer Rim known as Irus," Windu explained, "Not wanting to lose this valuable opportunity, we contacted a unit with the size and experience capable of taking the world as well as capturing the droid commander. On top of asking him to take on such a task, we made sure only a select few individuals had access to such information."

Everything he just heard was enough to make Plo Koon remain silent for what seemed like an eternity as he tried to process all the information he had heard from Windu. To know his student was dead as a result of the Council getting ahead of themselves, not taking the time to form a proper response force, and were now reeling back from such a major loss. The war was slowly turning in their favor, but now that momentum was put to a grinding halt as they lost a key leader for a unit like the 82nd Sky Corp, who were renowned for their ferocity in battle and willingness to step onto the battlefield even when the odds are stacked against them.

Now, there was only one question bouncing around in Plo Koon's head. He wondered what could be the reason for the Jedi Council to redeploy him from the sector near Bespin all the way to the _Titan_ , located a few hundred light-years away.

He looked at the two Jedi Masters, "I'm a bit concerned about my sudden orders to redeploy my entire battalion from Bespin. I thought my task was to make sure the vital gas giant was protected from any Separatist attacks, considering how active they've been in the sector."

"About your new orders, Master Plo Koon," the Kel Dorian felt like something was off with the way Windu was speaking to him, "The Council has decided we cannot allow the Separatist Alliance to take advantage of the situation regarding the loss of leadership for the 82nd Sky Corp. Until we can sit down and discuss who is capable of fulfilling the void left behind by your former Padawan, we have decided to make you temporary general of the _Screaming Banshees_."

Yoda could feel the unease within Plo Koon's mind. He spoke up, "Be at ease, Master Plo Koon. Trust you the Council does."

"Thank you for the kind words, Master Yoda," Plo Koon nodded, trying his best to digest the news given to him. Not only was his Padawan dead, but the Jedi Council decided to make him the temporary leader of the 82nd Sky Corp indefinitely.

Mace Windu knew just how much they were piling onto the Kel Dorian's mind. The truth behind his former Padawan's death, being nominated as the leader of an elite unit, and there was one more piece of news to reveal to the Jedi.

"There's more to your nomination as the new general than you might have assumed," Windu knew how desperate each side was getting to end this war. "Shortly following the battle with the Separatist Alliance, it was brought to our attention that the general had escaped on board a Providence-Class Carrier. However, it was badly damaged before taking off into hyperspace and escaping the battlefield with the general. We suspect their ship won't be able to reach friendly territory with the condition it was in."

"Are you tracking it down?"

Mace squeezed the bridge of his nose, "Our intelligence units say they should have something within the next few hours. They're currently plotting every single route possible."

Getting away from the console, Plo Koon walked over to their navigation charts. He could see how difficult of a job was on their intelligence division. Irus was quite considerably out the way of any major systems like Bespin, Utapau, and Mustafar. It meant Republic forces might be forced to find general Grievous on worlds not marked on their navigation systems, making things more difficult than any of their forces most likely anticipated.

"Have any systems been determined as a possible location?" Plo Koon inquired.

Mace nodded, "Yes, our intelligence units have been constantly running into one system regardless of the route they believe Grievous has taken, and it's known as the Orion Belt."

"Considering the information, would it not be logical to assume Grievous is in the system?" Plo Koon pointed out, seeing as there was nothing to suggest his thought was wrong on the matter. "Especially when it's revealed that his warship was damaged during the fighting, making it impossible for him to reach friendly territory in such miserable conditions."

He was given his answer when Mace and Yoda didn't disagree with what the Kel Dorian Jedi brought to the table. The oldest Jedi Master in existence decided to give his thoughts on the matter surrounding the situation, "Danger surrounding this situation there is. Do our best to be careful when dealing with Grievous we must. Yes, hrrrm."

"Agreed," supported Mace, knowing the dangers that comes with the infamous droid commander. "I know we're placing quite a burden on your shoulders, Plo Koon. The death of your former Padawan is something all Jedi Masters face during their time in the Order. If it's worth anything to you, I think any master would have been proud to have Pax Marshall as their student."

"I thank you for the kind words," Plo Koon said, nodding his head. Both Jedi suspected Plo Koon wanted some time to think about everything they had just revealed to him. They'll contact him when he arrives on the _Titan_ with further information and instructions when it came to the kill/capture order placed on the head of Grievous.

When the holograms of Yoda and Mace Windu disappeared from the bridge of the cruiser, the Kel Dorian didn't utter a single word until his officer, commander Wolffe, spoke up.

"Sir, we've just exited hyperspace," informed commander Wolffe. "The defense fleet surrounding the space station has just greeted us on our arrival."

Plo Koon turned away from the holotable, trying his best to process the information he was just told by the Jedi Council. He faced his commander, "Well, it seems like the Council has some…. _new_ orders for me to comply with now."

Wolffe was present during the debriefing but choose to remain silent as the conversation quickly turned from military reports to his general getting bombarded with news of his former Padawan's death, being placed as the new temporary commander of the 82nd Sky Corp, and being placed informed about an operation to capture general Grievous. A small part of him can understand why the Jedi Council had been secretive about the information about the whereabouts of Grievous. Yet, he found it naive at how they didn't commit more resources to capturing the droid commander other than one single Sky Corp to take a planet crawling in droids.

"I'm sure commander Iron will be….less than pleased with what the Jedi Council has decided, general. Although, I am sure he's going to fulfill his duty without fault."

When he heard what Wolffe had to say on commander Iron, Plo Koon knew there was going to be some challenges with trying to take over such a veteran unit while staying in command of his own. He walked down the aisle, seeing the crew of his warship running back and forth with urgency as they were going to be arriving within the next hour or two.

Out in the distance, he could already see the invasion fleet used for the assault of Irus, docked with the space station. ' _I have a feeling the situation is going to become worse in the days to come. Pax would have certainly been less than happy regarding the situation._ '

 **...**

 **Ken, Capital of the Seven Shields Alliance**

 **CONTINENT OF EOSTIA**

Celestine felt the temptation to drop her work and get some much-needed sleep, which she blamed on having to skim through vast numbers of scrolls consisting of reports from noble families throughout the continent, generals on the front-lines, and council members from the larger cities. After being made the leader of the Seven Shields Alliance over a few centuries ago, the young woman came to understand how difficult it can be to lead people during a conflict as devastating as the one between her old friend; Olga Discordia, or known as the Dark Queen to millions living in Eostia. She was aware the situation had been deteriorating for the past few decades on her side, a result of Olga gaining command over the monsters who resided in the northernmost region on the continent.

When she picked up another scroll, Celestine could feel a sense of dread when she remembered there was an urgent message sent from the council leading the city of Wakefield, a key installation for some of their forces operating near the front-lines.

As she undid the seal to the scroll, the young woman made sure to be caught up on all critical news regarding the war and making sure the Alliance properly responded to whatever situation popped up in their territory. If Wakefield came under assault from the Dark Elf army and their northern allies, it meant Olga was preparing one last final offensive before winter hit the continent in the next few weeks.

 **[** _Greetings from the_ _city of_ _Wakefield,_ _I hope my message has made it the capital city and into the hands of the Goddess and her order of princess knights. My name is Samuel Harrison, commander of the city's militia forces, and I'm afraid to inform you all about the recent raids and assaults we've experienced in the last three weeks from the Dark Elf forces and those monstrous bastards from the north. Much to our dismay, the situation has grown perilous as they're threatening to cut us off from the Alliance if we do not surrender the city before winter arrives. I fear the council is starting to think about their options unless the Seven Shields Alliance proves their determination by supporting us during these tough times._ _Our forces have done the best they can to hold off the enemy, but it is not enough unless reinforcements are_ _sent to relieve us...please, help us during these tough times. Help us, Goddess, you're our only hope._ **]**

After she finished reading the message from the militia commander, Celestine placed the scroll back down on the desk and felt a sense of helplessness from his words. The man was obviously begging them for help to save the city from Olga's forces and, yet, she knew there was little that could be done to save it before help arrived in time. Celestine put her face in between her hands, doing her best to keep it together amidst such strenuous times.

Most people only saw the facade she put on during war meetings, ceremonies, and other events which demanded her appearance from time to time. In fact, there are only a few select individuals who she allowed to know the real person behind the mask of the Reincarnated Goddess; Celestine Lucullus, a High Elf selected by pure luck to lead the Alliance during these difficult times and have her opponent be the one real friend she's made over the past thousand years. Now, Olga was testing her ability to endure assault after assault across the continent, hoping to break the fragile alliance between humans and half-lings.

' _I wonder if the previous Goddess had to face such immense odds?_ ' Celestine decided there was no use going down a path where there might be no return for her.

She looked out the window, noticing the light of the full moon entering her room. The only other thing allowing Celestine to keep working through the late-night was a couple of lit candles on her desk, illuminating her beautifully pale skin in the dark. If she continued reading these depressing reports and awful messages, the young blonde Elf knew Claudia was bound to find out and scold her for not getting enough sleep.

Out of all the princess knights, an order of warriors who she christened herself after they've shown their worth and abilities in battle, Celestine secretly viewed Claudia Levantain, the oldest and most experienced member, as something akin to her best friend or the closest thing to a sister.

In the back of her mind, she understood Claudia had been simply doing her job as the leader of the Dawn Templar, an elite formation of heavy soldiers primarily used as a last line of defense or needed as security for important individuals like Celestine or noble officials. Besides the responsibility of being the leader of the Dawn Templar, Claudia was designated as the overall commander of Alliance forces on the continent. The only person she reported to was Celestine herself.

"Our only hope is winter slowing her down..." the High Elf rubbed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion all the meetings she had to attend today. "...Because we're not going to survive if we keep losing ground to her forces."

Other than their struggles to hold the surge of monsters supporting the Dark Elves, Celestine heard the rumors about some of their most northern cities contemplating surrender should they be attacked by Olga's forces in the next few months. A dire situation currently taking place in the city of Wakefield, and only went to show their inability to respond to this latest threat.

"There is what I saw..." she mumbled, recalling a vision from a few nights ago. Celestine let out a groan and shook her head, "I can't always rely on visions to solve all of our problems."

Although, Celestine definitely saw some things to be concerned about in her vision, resulting in some level of fear and anxiety. Honestly, the High Elf had never seen anything like it nor did she believe anyone throughout the continent of Eostia could say otherwise.

In her vision, the young woman remembered vividly waking up in a land trapped in darkness. At first, she was shocked to see such a horrific landscape covered in twisted and foreign vegetation, giving her the impression as if it might attack the blonde High Elf for walking past it. On top of fearing some sort of attack from the creatures which might inhabit these lands, Celestine had concerns about how silent everything was around her.

The young woman's concerns had been proven correct when she noticed humanoid figures appearing from the woodwork, who appeared almost bizarre in her eyes. Upon seeing these people, Celestine hid behind one of the strange trees, hoping they hadn't noticed her while coming from their positions. To Celestine's luck, not a single one of these people had bothered looking her way or acknowledging the blonde Elf's existence. This opportunity gave her a chance to see their appearance from a much closer look, and it was almost like she was in some other world.

These people wore strange armor with a helmet looking as if it was made from yellow glass instead of metal to protect themselves from a sword or arrow to their skull. Even their main weapon had matched their bizarre nature as it appeared as nothing more than a rod from metal, making her question what could such a thing do?

Suddenly, all of them stopped what they were doing when heard a strange noise in the distance. In the mind of the High Elf, she tried to figure out what it could be but hadn't really thought of anything to warrant such a response from these people. These _soldiers_ began rushing in a certain direction, likely responding to the possible threat coming towards them.

Celestine grew curious about what was threatening these soldiers, seeing how they appeared to be more anxious for whatever headed their way. She followed close behind them, making sure to stay out of the way as Celestine didn't know if they could truly her or not.

After a few moments, she saw them pointing their weapons down the hill and had support in the form of _contraptions_ unlike any seen throughout the war against Olga's forces. They had long, pointy ends facing in the same direction as them with what appears to be lightning keeping them chained together, a feat of magic Celestine was unable to perform. Though, she quickly learned the use behind these new things when the noise from before had grown louder and louder.

" _W-What are those?_ "

In the dense night sky, a large group of flying objects made from metal flew towards the defensive line put by these people. Celestine held her breath, watching as these strange humans began unleashing the most destructive magic she's seen performed in a long time. Hot, bolts of green flew from their strange rods and started hitting the flying objects when they got closer to the ground.

The worst part was when the pincer-shaped contraptions began performing the same thing as these men but caused more destruction than the smaller rods in the hands of these soldiers. An explosion was seen in the distance as these people manage to hit a flying object, turning it into a flaming mess that hit the ground before exploding.

She thought these might invaders being fought off by the locals but everything changed after she saw the appearance of two-legged mechanical beasts and their riders dressed in black and white armor. As for the flying objects; many of them landed on the ground with powerful lights turned towards the direction of these people using deadly magic against them. To the young woman's surprise, the flying objects opened up and unleashed dozens upon dozens of more soldiers wearing similar colors to the riders on their mechanical beasts.

Soon, the battlefield had become chaotic from all the explosions, green and blue magical bolts, and the horrific sounds of dying soldiers on both sides. None of it made sense in her eyes, causing Celestine to think if she was witnessing the horrors of war from another land far, far away from the continent of Eostia. It became quite apparent to anyone that the concept behind warfare had drastically changed if combat was being performed like the scene before her.

Most of all, there was no honor in the way either side was fighting; killing a man from a distance, brutal hand-to-hand combat, and many more violent acts which would even make some of the most battle-hardened men question their actions. Even her knights would condemn these soldiers for their style of battle as they saw combat in a much different light than these men from her vision. It seemed more like a fight for survival over a war being waged for whatever reasons possible, and Celestine wanted nothing to do with them.

At some point, Celestine tried to hide from the battle raging across the area in an attempt to find some form of safety from the scene playing out before her eyes. During the battle, she hid behind a tree to avoid being noticed by either side fighting in the area below her. Amidst the chaos, Celestine's green eyes landed on someone who seemed to be different than the soldiers with golden glass on their head or those wearing the black and white armor. He looked to be in his late twenties with short, black hair paired alongside dark blue eyes dressed in armor unlike any she's seen before. The eye-catching part about him is the weapon he was holding in his hand.

"... _A sword of light_?" she remembered saying after getting a glimpse of the weapon.

The biggest surprise was when Celestine saw the soldiers in white and black armor followed whatever instructions he gave them. It meant the man was the commander of these soldiers.

Her instincts warned the beautiful High Elf to stay away from the man, saying he was nothing more than a danger to her survival and those of Eostia. On the other hand, she felt a strange longing for the man as if her heart was telling her the complete opposite. Letting her know the man leading these soldiers could keep her safe and guide the young woman through the horrors called war.

When thinking about everything she saw in that vision, Celestine wanted the continent of Eostia to never experience anything from her vision. The High Elf needed some fresh air to help ease her mind from everything happening these last few days. As she gently moved the chair away from the desk, Celestine picked up the shawl she left on the back of her chair when she entered her personal chambers to retire for the night.

As she walked through her room, Celestine walked past the mirror and glanced towards it. Over the past few centuries, people always claimed she was epitome of beauty and innocence. Long blonde hair, pale skin, and vibrant green eyes that were only contrasted by the dark lines underneath, suggesting how little sleep she gets anymore. An ample chest supplemented her curvaceous figure with a modest nightgown that seem to only enhance her body to a stunning degree. Compared to her beauty, there was one thing that stood out the most and it was a pair of pointed ears hidden behind her luscious locks, indicating her status as a beautiful High Elf.

The Elf looked away from the mirror in shame, "How can people admire me when I constantly fail them?" she whispered, fearing the day when the people decide they've had enough of her.

It wasn't a secret among a few of the princess knights about how much Celestine blames herself for the suffering of the people throughout the territory of the Alliance and how much their lives have become a living nightmare under her leadership. No one could sway her mind from the dark thoughts about the future, not even Claudia was able to do much for the High Elf.

Celestine walked towards the glass doors leading to the balcony attached to her personal chambers, grabbing the handles and opening them. Within moments, the young woman felt the cold air on her skin, causing her to wrap her arms around her to keep warm in this weather. It was a telltale sign of winter approaching, and the war against the Dark Queen would begin to slow down to a crawl for the time being.

The blonde High Elf understood winter was the only thing keeping the Dark Queen and her forces from taking the various cities and towns outside the fortresses. Leaning against the rail, the Reincarnated Goddess looked down into the city of Ken, a place she's called home for the past few centuries and has been the capital of the Alliance for quite some time now. Biting her lip, Celestine recalled the suffering people have been through since the start of this war.

Not only have entire generations of family been lost to the sands of time, but people have lost sons, daughters, wives, and husbands to this war.

It made her realize that their current forces were barely capable of holding back raiding parties of monsters from the Legion. Numerous times in battle, her military forces have failed to hold their own due to the sheer weight of numbers being deployed against her forces in battle. As a result of these losses, the Alliance has turned to another source of combat troops in the form of using mercenaries.

With not only their wealth growing as a result of being paid by many mayors, leaders, and councils to protect them from the enemy and even their own fame has grown to unbelievable heights.

The famous being the group known as the Black Dogs.

Unlike most groups, they possessed large amounts of well-trained and experienced veterans who have seen combat for years now. They were the very force holding back the Legion and the Dark Elves from running wild in the south. Most of all, they were led by a man who has become the closest thing to a legend in the eyes of many. A man who goes by the name of Volt, a charismatic and battle-hardened leader who's been fighting for nearly two decades now.

Sure, there were those who raised their concerns with using mercenaries like the Black Dogs, but couldn't provide them with a better option given the situation of the Alliance.

As Celestine's green eyes watched the sun beginning to rise above the massive fortress walls, she smiled sadly as this was going to be another day of running the Alliance, meeting with the noble families who are concerned with the progress of the war, and many more events concerned with governing. She doesn't regret becoming the leader, but the burden was becoming almost too much for her.

Though, the young woman refused to show weakness when others needed guidance in these difficult times.

Only one thought came to mind and that was asking this mysterious army for assistance in their war against the Dark Queen. Could she convince them to help them in these desperate times? It was a long shot, to say the least. Unfortunately, given the difficult position they're in with the enemy closing in from all sides…

Without much warning, Celestine's ear began to twitch as they picked up a strange noise coming from somewhere off in the distance. Gradually, the strange noise began to get much louder until Celestine's eyes widened in horror when she saw a bright light in the night sky, catching the attention of people walking around the city at this time. The object looked too far away to land anywhere near the city of Ken or any territory belonging to the Alliance.

In the back of Celestine's mind, she suspected the object was going to land much farther than anyone expected, including her former friend; Olga Discordia.

"...Please be okay..." Celestine whispered, holding her hands together as if she was praying to a higher figure above her.

The blonde High Elf prayed to the Old and New Gods to protect her friend from whatever may happen in the days to come following such a historic event. She knew the church might start asking some questions about what it may mean for the Alliance or the Kingdom of Garan, and it was going to be difficult to stop the local population from believing the falling star to be a sign of the end for them.

Suddenly, the door to her personal chambers slammed open, revealing a group of heavily armed guards with a white cross symbol on their armor and shield, letting anyone know they are associated with the group known as the Dawn Templar. When Celestine turned away from the scene, she noticed the one leading them was none other than her closest friend; Claudia Levantine.

"My lady, are you alright?!"

Claudia walked into the room, keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword while scanning the room. A few members of the Dawn Templar maintained a perimeter around both individuals with the intention of keeping them safe from any harm.

"I'm alright, Claudia," Celestine replied, shaking her head at how overcautious her friend was being about the situation. "There's no need for the guards."

Upon saying those words, the commander of all Alliance forces in Eostia turned to the members of the Dawn Templar.

"You're all dismissed," Claudia ordered, gesturing towards the door. "Return to your barracks for the night."

The five soldiers respected Claudia's orders and walked towards the door in an orderly fashion, leaving the two most iconic women throughout the Seven Shields Alliance, alone in the room. Everyone knew Celestine and Claudia got along famously since the latter came into prominence during her time on the battlefield against the enemy forces led by Olga Discordia. It meant Celestine trusted her opinion more than most people in her court, knowing a few individuals possessed ulterior motives for wanting to help the Alliance win against the Dark Queen's forces.

"I think you might have overreacted towards the situation," Celestine smiled at her friend.

Claudia walked onto the balcony, seeing the streets filled with people looking up at the night sky. She leaned against the marble railway, "I apologize if I caused you any stress, your grace. All I wanted to do was make sure you were alright."

"There's no need for you to apologize, Claudia."

Beyond the call of duty, the two became good friends from how much they've experienced over the last few years during the war with Olga Discordia.

Looking over her shoulder, Claudia noticed the table filled with scrolls, envelopes, and the candles to help read in the dark. The commander had a sneaking suspicion Celestine wanted to catch up on some work before the upcoming war meeting about their final offensive to put an end to the conflict that has torn apart the continent for over a millennium.

"Have you been sleeping?" Claudia questioned, noticing the rings underneath the Goddess's eyes.

Celestine gave a half-smile, "Not much these last few weeks."

"Why?" Celestine turned to face her friend.

"My recent...visions have made me wondering about something."

Claudia's concern only grew after hearing those words, "What did you see? If I may ask, my lady."

The Goddess looked up towards the night sky, taking notice of the bright stars above them, "It was strange, Claudia. Throughout my life, I've witnessed many terrible things but nothing like the vision I had tonight. All I can do now is pray that whatever happened in vision...never comes true or I fear Eostia may lose what little is left after this war against the Dark Queen...regardless of who wins."

Upon hearing those words, Claudia remained silent as she didn't know what to say in such a situation. All Claudia knew was how to be a loyal soldier, it was something she aspired to be from a young age, and after the Reincarnated Goddess made Claudia her second-in-command, the woman has done everything in her power to make sure Celestine never doubted her loyalty or her abilities.

Walking up to her friend, Claudia then stood right next to her Goddess, "Celestine, I always believed in you and the goals you strive towards, and all of it is to help the people of Eostia. If yet another enemy comes to this land with the intention of harming the people of Eostia, then I will gladly stand beside you and defend it to my last breath."

Celestine gave Claudia a beautiful smile and hugged the warrior clad in armor, "Thank you. You do not know how much those words mean to me, Claudia."

The knight shook her head before returning the hug, "No, I require no such thanks from you, my lady."

In the time since becoming known as the Reincarnated Goddess, Celestine honestly never had friends. Numerous people, she worked with, have always kept their distance from her because of her title and placed her on a pedestal. On the other hand, she is happy to have known people like Claudia and some of the other princess knights.

Leaning against the wooden railing once more, Celestine looked towards the night sky with the stars shining brightly, "Claudia, may I ask you something?"

The knight nodded, "Of course, you may ask me anything, my lady."

"Do you believe people live among the stars?" the Goddess asked.

Claudia felt somewhat out of her element and didn't bother hiding such a thing, "I... do not know, if I'm honest. It isn't my place to answer such a question, my lady," she said, "But, my husband; Klaus, would probably know more about this subject than me. He's most likely studied this idea before in his spare time."

The Goddess heard the warmth and love in Claudia's voice when speaking about her husband. Love was such a beautiful thing to Celestine. It was the chance to be someone who loved them, regardless of the flaws one may have. In honesty, it made Celestine somewhat envious of others such as Claudia.

"Yes, I believe he would," Celestine responded.

Seeing the sun rising over the horizon, Celestine realized the long day she has in front of her, "It's alright, Claudia. You may leave now. Forgive me if I troubled you with my nonsense."

Claudia shook her head, "No, lady Celestine, you could never cause me trouble."

"Just go on, Claudia, I'll be fine."

Heeding the words of her Goddess, the knight bowed before leaving the High Elf to her thoughts. The moon's light shined over the city of Ken, the capital of the entire alliance. Celestine wanted nothing more for this war between her and Olga to end in peace and return to being the best of friends they were a few centuries ago, but continuing to fight one another is only going to cause more people to die in a pointless war. One which has been raging for a few centuries now.

Looking towards the stars, Celestine wondered if there were people who lived among them.

She wondered if they lived peaceful lives, but the thought was crushed after remembering the vision from earlier. Even with that vision, some people probably lived in peace since they were capable of avoiding their troubles. Sometimes, the Goddess wondered what would happen if those visions of the young man showed her proof that there were people on other worlds.

Even Celestine wanted a knight in shining armor to save her from this terrible conflict. However, she put those thoughts away for the time being.

There was still a war to fight. One she intends to end.

Now.

 **...**

 **Black Fortress, Kingdom of Garan**

 **TERRITORY OF THE DARK QUEEN**

Many people across the continent of Eostia had a good reason for fearing the Dark Queen due to her control over the monsters residing in the northern region. When assisted by the remains of her army made up primarily of Dark Elves, she had a formidable force not many could defeat in battle. On top of controlling an elite army, there was her extraordinary magical abilities which could match Celestine in battle.

It meant very few individuals in these lands could stand in her way but if there was one thing Olga Discordia hated more than anything in the world; it was when unexpected things happen without her calculating for it. The falling star made her very concerned about the plans she put into motion as a large force was currently marching south to take a vital city known as Wakefield. Thankfully, one of her more trusted field commanders was already in the area and planned on providing support to the army she down to take it.

As she watched from her bedroom, seeing the large plume of smoke rising in the distance, most likely coming from the fallen star which slammed into the ground a few hours ago. Olga had seen it happen to the continent one other time since she's been alive in this world. Her mind began to run wild with possibilities as to what the fallen star might mean in the grand scheme of things, especially when winter was upon them.

"I have to succeed here…or else we're not going to last another winter."

The situation in her kingdom has grown worse in the last few decades, considering the lack of land capable of being farmed for food to feed her people. When she took over as queen following the civil war between the rebels and loyalist, Olga knew something needed to change and took notice of the healthy farming land being used by the human faction.

Although, the chance for any agreement to allow her people to migrate south was out the window due to the history between Humans and Dark Elves during a war from a few thousand years ago. Her race was humiliated in battle against the humans being led by a man named Roman Cyrodiil, a famous war hero who helped create an empire which dominated the continent for quite some time. Like anything in this world, it eventually faded away from existence and left numerous kingdoms warring against each other for power until she decided to take advantage of their weak state.

She let out a sigh, seeing the deadly environment created as a result of obtaining the necessary power to level the playing field against the humans.

"How can I call myself a queen when all I've done is make my people suffer?" Olga had witnessed the beautiful land known as Garan fall apart into a wasteland inhospitable to anyone outside the monsters she commands into battle.

Olga turned away from the smoke, looking off into the distance. She knew Celestine witnessed the falling star like everyone on the continent, and suspected the star must have landed in her territory. The Dark Elf twisted the magical staff in her hand, resisting the temptation to simply use a destruction spell and get rid of whatever may come from the star. Or, she could send some scouts to get an eye on the object and give her an idea as to what to do with it.

In the past, Olga remembered reading about the metal from stars could be forged into extremely strong weapons like swords, knives, or turned into a shield. Unfortunately, it's been a few hundred years since the last star made contact with the continent, making it difficult to believe if these claims are true given her need for resources. The situation has become bad enough to where she ordered her forces to raid the villages, towns, and cities closest to the front-lines for anything useful.

"A queen who can't feed her people..." she muttered softly, berating herself for being unable to defeat their enemy and bring prosperity to their race.

Nothing is going to change if something isn't done to turn their luck around in the right direction. Their desperation was the main reason behind her forces marching south to assault the city of Wakefield. It was known for being able to keep an entire region supplied for months in a single harvest, which made it a target in the eyes of Olga Discordia. She knew by holding the city it would mean food can finally be delivered to her people living in the fortress instead of surviving on scraps.

On top of holding the city, she could make Celestine send her forces to recapture the city and would be able to wear down the Alliance's army. At this point, the Dark Queen may have had a superior force on the battlefield but it was utterly useless if she couldn't feed them or supplied for long enough to make a real difference. For the Alliance, Olga had seen the Alliance military grow in numbers and strength in the last two hundred years as the human kingdoms to the south finally made an effort to combine their forces and push to defeat her.

She walked back into her bedroom, hoping to get some sleep. These last few nights have been ruined from nightmares about being betrayed by her people, some involved her being raped by the men who lost wives, women attacking her for losing their children or husbands in battle, or the monsters finally deciding to stop following her orders. None of them were too pleasant to think about, especially when she always remembered her personal lieutenant watching from a distance, finally realizing there was nothing for her to follow.

Olga Discordia was a false queen, and deserved to be punished for her actions against the people of Garan.

As she walked towards her dresser, Olga stopped in front of the mirror and took a look at herself. Olga was aware of her immense beauty in the eyes of men and women alike, knowing how even those pitiful monsters struggled to keep their lust from making them do something they'd regret. Her long dark hair went down to her back, warm espresso skin, a voluptuous body contained within an elegant purple corset.

Everything about her was desirable in the eyes of many men, however, Olga always had a feeling she was bound to be alone as punishment for her past transgressions.

' _What am I thinking? I'm a queen..._ ' she thought, noticing the glimmering tiara on her head, indicating her status within the kingdom. ' _...Or what I tell myself anyway._ '

There would be enough time to think about her mistakes in the future, regardless if she's dead or comes out victorious from all the bloodshed. She placed the staff against the wall and was about to take off her clothes to slip into something more comfortable for the night. Meanwhile, Olga began to think about her personal lieutenant by the name of Chloe Morningstar as she was currently leading an expedition to investigate the fallen star and report on anything of value.

She knew it was difficult to put together an expeditionary force to march towards the star, especially when it hit the ground only a few hours ago.

The Dark Queen's thoughts on the matter were interrupted because she began to hear a strange noise in the distance, making her scan her chambers out of caution. Her eyes slowly narrowed at the high pitch sound, "What is that?"

Olga moved away from the mirror, deciding to investigate the noise by following it. The closer she got to the balcony, the louder the noise seem to get in her mind, causing her to question what exactly was happening here.

When the Dark Elf walked out onto the balcony, Olga saw nothing out of the ordinary from where she was standing. The people living inside the fortress were either sleeping or wandering the streets without much thought to their actions. The noise failed to get any louder, making her wonder what could make such a strange noise. As for the walls of the fortress, the Dark Queen noticed her troops were staring at the camps being built by the monsters near the last remaining bastion for Dark Elves in Eostia.

It was part of the original agreement Olga made to keep the monsters under her control through magic and appealing to their greed and lust. They would be the first line of defense should anyone attempt to attack her fortress in the near future.

"Am I losing it?" she questioned, noticing how nothing seemed to stand out from the ordinary. Yet, she was positive the noise was real but the real question was if it didn't come from the monsters or anyone inside her city...then where did it come from?

Olga received her answer when numerous explosions rocked the area where the monsters were making their camps for the night. Even from where she was standing, the Dark Queen felt the effects from deep inside the fortress home to over forty-thousand remaining Dark Elves in Eostia. She wasn't the only one to feel the explosions as dozens of citizens rushed out of their homes to see what was happening on the other side of the walls.

The explosions completely tore the camps to pieces, setting everything on fire and destroying anything in its path. All those monsters were either dead because of the flames or the force behind the explosions crushing them without any hesitation. It made Olga question what an individual could possess such potent magic without being a powerful mage on either her or Celestine's level.

A few theories from it being an assault from Alliance forces to a rogue group who grew tired of her reign of terror across the continent. Hell, she wanted to believe whoever was responsible came from a splinter group of Dark Elves who have grown tired of her rule over them. Anything to help her find out who was responsible for such a devastating attack on the monsters who were given the responsibility to defend her fortress.

Yet, those assumptions might have been easier to swallow than the truth of the situation. Olga watched the monsters attempt to reorganize themselves and prepare a defense against whatever just attacked their positions. Their actions were hopeless when the cause of the explosions made their presence on the battlefield, and it was a horrifying sight to anyone seeing them.

It was an enormous being walking around on four legs with a pointed edge to them. It's glowing red eyes almost seem to instill fear into the heart of those looking into them. The skin was a dark blue with various white markings on them, and Olga noticed a white octagon on the side of its peculiar head. No one did anything as the monsters grabbed what weapons were lying around them but it was hopeless when they noticed a few more of these strange beings appear from the flames.

Soon, the monsters charged against the creatures with the hopes of defeating them and being rewarded for defending their queen from attack. What none of these barbaric creatures realized was the enemy was unlike anything they've ever encountered before.

The strange beings took notice and did something no one was expecting; using some form of strange magic to launch bolts of red light at them.

Within seconds, the monsters were cut down to pieces before they could reach the strange metallic creatures.

From where Olga watched the massacre of those monsters, she knew the explosions woke up the people living inside fortress. She could see her Dark Elf soldiers begin to rush towards the walls, taking their positions and manning the defenses built to ward off any invaders stupid enough to take them on. Others started to help the civilians move to the underground shelters built to protect them during a siege should anyone attempt to take the fortress.

The door to her personal chambers slammed open, revealing a group of guards assigned to protect her while Chloe was leading the force to investigate the fallen star. These were warriors handpicked by the young lieutenant before leaving the fortress about a few hours ago, which allowed for a terrifying thought to come to Olga's mind.

"No..." she whispered, terrified to even think about the potential truth behind it.

She stared at the creatures approaching her fortress, seeing their glowing red eyes didn't seem to blink after killing hordes of monsters without any effort on their part. Their ability to use such powerful magic didn't help the situation, especially when she lacked any sufficient number of mages capable of creating barriers to hold them back. She gripped the railing made from black stone, trying to convince herself to remain strong in the face of such a threat before her very eyes.

"Y-Your grace, we must get you to safety!" a guard yelled, remembering the strict orders he was given by Chloe should anything happen during the next few days while she was away.

Olga refused to move from the spot she was standing on, fearing the retaliation from these creatures should they continue moving closer towards the wall.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the creatures stopped moving and let out a series of noises akin to laughter or chuckling of some kind. The noise made Olga wonder if these things were taking some pleasure in how the amount of monsters they were killing.

The Dark Queen and her guards watched the creatures do something impossible in their eyes. All twelve creatures suddenly jumped into the air, folding their legs forward and start to fly into the night sky. There was silence across the entire fortress as nearly everyone witnessed the historic event. Sure, there were stories about dragons being prominent beings who controlled the skies but Olga doubted anyone knowing anything about these things.

As she watched them fly into the night sky, they flew towards the direction of the fallen star. When she saw them heading towards the pillar of smoke in the distance, Olga felt her legs lose strength and nearly fell onto the ground if it wasn't for one of the guards rushing forward and catching her. The one person she never wanted to fail was going to face an incredible amount of danger if these things truly came from the fallen star in the distance.

"C-Chloe..."

The last thing Olga could see before losing consciousness was the familiar spark of red in the distance. Now, she was responsible for sending her most devoted lieutenant to her grave because Olga couldn't have anything ruining her plans for a brighter future.

* * *

 **First, I'm back from a very long hiatus considering how life can be a real sometimes. Next, I thought about some stuff for this story and decided to make some changes which is really shown in the last segment of the chapter when it comes to Olga and the Dark Elves involvement in the story.**

 **Now, I'm going to be writing the next chapter which I will warn you guys is going to be very different from the original version. So, you can tell some stuff is going to go down in the few chapters with what's going to happen.**

 **Other than that, I'm back to writing since I didn't want to leave any of you guys hanging any longer than I did.**


	2. The Fall of a Kingdom, (1)

**DISCLAIMER: _I don't own a damn thing being used in the story!_**

* * *

 **Location Unknown**

 **TERRITORY OF THE DARK QUEEN**

"W-Where am I?"

As Chloe started to regain consciousness after what seemed like an eternity, the first thing she could feel was her body wracked with pain from whatever must have attacked the forces under her leadership. The next thing she did was make an attempt to move her arms and legs until Chloe came to the terrifying realization that something was restraining her movements, and it didn't feel like chains. The young woman took notice of her surroundings and could tell it was a normal-sized room before fully noticing how the bizarre appearance as it possessed metal walls and strange white lights in the ceiling above her. She almost didn't know what to think about it, especially when remembering what had happened to the force she was leading to investigate the fallen star that landed in her queen's territory.

She recalled how they came under attack from the night sky, witnessing a hail of crimson bolts hitting their troops without any mercy from above. Yet, their situation took a turn for the worse when Chloe remembered seeing the arrival of an army that was unlike anything she's ever seen in her lifetime. These things had outnumbered them and were capable of using magic that tore apart their lines without any real effort on their part. It was a sight she was never going to forget for as long as she lives, but the young woman had a feeling that might be the last thing she ever sees.

Chloe took a deep breath, knowing it was useless to think about what had happened when her personal safety was currently hanging in the balance.

Lifting her head up, the young woman took notice of the strange magic keeping her restrained. It took on the appearance of blue energy wrapping tightly around her wrists and ankles, making it difficult for her to perform any kind of movement. Chloe was certain whoever attacked her forces must have taken her prisoner for some reason, especially considering her position as the queen's lieutenant. Although, a part of Chloe wondered if the person who attacked their forces belonged to the Alliance, the only group who might know the importance behind her capture.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked, her question being answered by the silence of being alone in the room without anyone else.

Unfortunately, she would come to learn that the enemy who attacked them had a very different mindset about keeping Chloe alive.

Suddenly, the door to the room slid open, catching the attention of the young woman being held captive against her will. She wanted to make a snide remark about these people deciding to finally man up and speak to her but the Dark Elf's eyes widened in fear from the three individuals who walked into the metal room. They made the monsters inside her queen's army look like a pushover compared to the three who just walked in right now.

Two of them stood around six feet tall, wearing white cloaks to cover themselves, and a pair of glowing red eyes being their only distinguishable facial feature. Their movement seemed mechanical in nature, considering how both creatures walked in sync with each other, making Chloe wonder if there was something more to them. Yet, Chloe turned to face the third individual who came into the room and felt an overwhelming sense of dread flood into her mind.

The creature standing between them was even taller and more menacing than those with glowing red eyes and white cloaks. She noticed it wore a white cloak like the other two but it possessed very different features like a pair of reptilian-like eyes behind a white mask, which stared at Chloe like a predator stalking a helpless victim. The creature let out a low, menacing chuckle that sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

"I see this world isn't entirely void of _intelligent_ beasts," the creature with the reptilian-like eyes said, his voice making Chloe's skin crawl from the tone behind its words.

She usually would make a sarcastic remark or something to get under the skin of her enemies. A part of her didn't want to say anything upon seeing the creature and its guards, especially after witnessing the army under its command. For now, Chloe decided against speaking as she feared what they would do to her.

"Nervous, aren't we?" the creature asked, letting out a terrifying chuckle. "Good, you savages might be more intelligent than I originally guessed."

Chloe found the strength to glare at the creature, feeling insulted by the creature's comment. "I am no savage," she snarled, trying to overcome the fear of what this creature was going to do to her. In the back of her mind, she knew the queen entrusted her with the responsibility of scouting the fallen star and reporting back on what they found as well as the options available to them.

When he heard the response from the savage, the being known as general Grievous wanted to merely gut the woman and put this little incident behind him.

Initially, Grievous didn't plan on interacting with the savages of this undiscovered world after his capital ship crashed in a nearby mountain range the night before. The general's original plan consisted of sending his battle droids to march forward and destroy anything which might oppose his search for the Jedi known as Pax Marshall, a nuisance in the eyes of Grievous and the rest of the Separatist Alliance for the last year or so. Now, the only reason why he hasn't gone ahead with his plan to march his droid army forward was because of the strange signal coming from the world they landed on.

When he had demanded where the signal was coming from, his droids pointed to a region to the west of their position. Thinking to himself, the general knew he was going to need to bide his time on this world and wait for Separatist reinforcements to reach his location as he was smart enough to send out one final may-day call before appearing in an unknown region of the Outer Rim.

He kept the possibility of landing on a backwater world in his mind during the first few hours after crash landing on the surface, and the chance of finding a working ship capable of hyperspace travel is almost slim to none in the aftermath of their unexpected arrival.

The droid commander knew it was short-sighted to take over a world without knowing a single thing about it but there was a simple problem; there weren't any signs of intelligent life nearby. It meant he was going to have to search the area until he came across anything capable of passing along vital information he was going to need while stuck on this backwater world. For Grievous, he personally wanted to make sure these primitive creatures didn't stand in the way of his search for the Jedi who has single-handily become responsible for setting back the Separatist Alliance's planned offensive against the Galactic Republic by months.

Although, the infamous commander doubted he would find anything of value in the area surrounding his ship, but found some amusement when the ship scanners tracked a rather _large_ force approaching them from the south.

Deciding to see what was left of his forces on the ship, the droid commander activated well over ten thousand B1 battle droids supported by hundreds of other more specialized models such as the B2 super battle droids, droidekas, and various other designs.

He allowed a tactical droid, designated TF-8574, to command the overwhelming force to deal with the fools who sought to come near his warship. Less than an hour later, he was contacted by the tactical droid and informed about their successful eradication of the enemy force, comprised of green-skinned brutes wielding very ancient weapons and little to no armor to protect themselves from blaster fire.

That information alone was more than enough to make Grievous realize just how little these savages have in the form of technology. If a similar-sized force of droids took on a unit of those Republic _dogs_ , even Grievous doubted those droids would survive such an encounter.

Along with the destruction of the enemy force, their commando droids manage to track down someone who appeared to be the commanding officer from how many guards they had surrounding them. After killing their escorts and taking them prisoner, Grievous saw an opportunity to learn more about the world he was going to conquer for the Separatist Alliance. The capture of the female commander was made even better following the return of a scout droid which brought back information about a massive fortress about a few dozen clicks to the west of their position.

The images brought back by the droid made Grievous realize these savages might be more advanced than he thought as the black fortress was larger than some cities on other worlds. As for the area which surrounded the fortress, it was nothing short of a wasteland crawling with deadly vegetation, beast most likely native to this world, and altogether seemed inhospitable to anything not capable of surviving in this area.

It made the general think about the chance of the Jedi heading to that location, seeking refuge and medical assistance for his injuries during his escape.

All the information presented to him by his scouts and what his forces found had pointed to a world who was unable to fight back any significant presence of droid forces. It meant he had free reign on this planet to do whatever the hell he desired and there was very little they could do to stop him from being able to accomplish his goals.

"My apologies, I find it difficult to believe such a claim when your world hasn't developed any form of space travel, let alone hyperspace capabilities," Grievous retorted, seeing the confusion on the woman's face.

"W-What are you talking about?"

Grievous raised his arm, allowing the woman to see it for the first time. He took some enjoyment out of her fear upon seeing his cybernetic limb, which meant this world was nowhere near the level of technology necessary to heal someone from a severe injury. The hand suddenly wrapped around her neck with the force equivalent to a viper, making it difficult for Chloe to breathe as the cold, lifeless metal began constricting her passage of air.

She tried to pull away from the hand but it seems to do little to help her situation.

"Listen," she heard the creature say to him, "I believe you might know something about a black fortress to the west of our position. Tell me all the information you know about it, and I might just let you live to see its destruction."

The Dark Elf felt her vision start to fail her until the creature pulled back its hand, giving Chloe the chance to fill her lungs with much-needed air.

"You can rot in hell..." Chloe muttered, still recovering from the near-death experience. "I-I refuse to help you with such an endeavor."

Instead of replying, Grievous looked at his Magna guards and gestured towards the woman. Without saying a word back to their commander, the droids moved towards their prisoner with their electro staffs and tapped them against the ground, igniting them. They came to life with purple energy resembling electricity swirled around both ends.

Chloe had a bad feeling about what they were going to do to her, and yet her loyalty to queen Olga outweighed the potential fear of being tortured to death. She would rather die as a faithful servant than live onward as a coward, especially after witnessing the firepower of the enemy who captured her. A part of her feared what this brand new enemy would do upon reaching the gates of the Black Fortress, home to the tens of thousands of dark elves left in the world.

As the general walked towards the door, hunched over to allow his tall frame to pass through the door frame, he turned his head to take one more glance at the dark-skinned woman.

"I must say, I'm rather interested in seeing what lies inside that fortress..." Grievous told her, taking pleasure in seeing the look of trepidation on the woman's face. "...Let's hope they have more common sense than you, _savage_."

Before the door closed to the interrogation room, Grievous let out a deep chuckle upon hearing the screams of the woman, reverberating throughout the entire corridor.

He walked down the corridor, thinking about the potential ways of tearing apart the fortification on those walls. The weapons at his disposal were quite considerable but he wasn't dumb enough to think they wouldn't run out of ammo or droids before it's all said and done.

"This world is certainly going to burn by the time I find you..." he whispered to himself, intent on capturing and executing the Jedi Knight who calls himself Pax Marshall.

 **...**

 **Teutoburg Forest, South of Wakefield**

 **THAT SAME NIGHT**

Theodmer let out a growl of annoyance when he felt the bitter cold penetrate his armor and brushed against his skin, forcing the Dark Elf commander to roll his shoulders in discomfort. He was no stranger to the cold that the continent of Esotia suffered during these parts of the year, but it seemed like this winter might be different than ones before it.

He took a moment to turn around, his eyes hid the small sense of joy at seeing the large columns of Dark Elf troops moving under the cover of darkness. The only light was the full moon hanging above them, lighting their path in a forest notorious for being difficult to navigate through, especially with all the dangerous wildlife which roams these parts.

Looking back on the assignment given to his forces, it was quite simple; harass the supply lines of the Seven Shields Alliance using a combination of his elite Dark Elf shock troopers and the monsters from the Legion. A mission he's been performing for the last few months leading into what seemed like the millionth winter for many of the Dark Elves under his command.

Some of them haven't seen their loved ones in the last few years, a result of continuous combat against the human kingdoms to their south. Others are fresh faces on the front line against their enemy, hoping to earn some glory in the name of their queen; Olga Discordia.

Although, he was recently informed to make his way to the human city known as Wakefield, where the possibility of an assault was going to happen just as the winter was about to settle in. The commander knew the difficulty of launching a siege during the coldest time of the year for many races across the continent of Eostia.

Given the situation of his race and their declining numbers, Theodmer knew that if they wanted to achieve victory in this conflict, some sacrifices were gonna have to be made if their race was going to live to see another day. As he took a moment to stop and see the force under his command, Theodmer saw the nearly two-thousand strong Dark Elves put under his command, supported by well over ten to twelve thousand additional monsters sent from the Legion.

The commander smiled to himself, proud of his troops' willingness to do what's needed in the name of victory for their queen.

" _Commander_!"

Theodmer heard the voice of his second-in-command; a female Elf by the name of Kavrala. A woman known for her obedience to their queen and willingness to do what's necessary for victory against the humans, even at the cost of their own men.

A fact not lost on Theodmer, who certainly didn't appreciate the reckless strategy of throwing away men for the sake of victory.

" _What is it, Kavrala?_ " he asked his second-in-command. The older Elf took off his helmet, revealing a face dominated by a scar he obtained in an encounter with a rogue Orc camp nearly five hundred years ago.

The woman did the same, revealing a more youthful look as she was younger than her commander by nearly a few hundred years. She saluted her leader, " _Sir, we've made good progress towards the human city and the vast majority of the men feel like they can continue marching forward_."

" _And what does_ _Gazbag say?_ " Theodmer asked, wanting to know what their fellow ally had to say about the status of their own forces.

Kavrala scowled, " _There's no need to concern ourselves with those monsters._ "

Theodmer let out a snort, " _Gazbag and his troops make up the vast majority of our forces. If we do not keep them happy, then this will be a difficult relationship to maintain, given the weather we're going to be facing in the next few weeks._ "

" _But, sir! We can't exp-_ "

" _But what? filthy Elf_ ," a much deeper and gravely voice entered the conversation. The two Dark Elves turned to see a creature who stood nearly twice the size of Theodmer, dark green skin covered in scars from battle, and was wielding a massive war axe in his hand.

Unfazed by the sheer size of the Orc, Kavrala glared at it, " _Nothing you need to concern yourself with, disgusting brute_."

Theodmer knew tensions were running high between his troops and the monsters under the leadership of Gazbag. Time was running out for them before a fight breaks out between some of his own men and the monsters supporting them.

' _I just hope this strategy works…'_ he thought, seeing the full moon in the distance.

The commander of the Dark Elves addressed the gargantuan Orc, " _Gazbag, what is the status of your troops?_ "

His question almost seem to insult Kavrala, who looked ready to protest if it wasn't for the sharp look in Theodmer's eyes. It was enough to make the second-in-command remain quiet as she knew that her commander wouldn't be pleased with her interruption.

Seeing the silent but obvious interaction, the Orc smirked in the most grotesque way possible. He was happy to see that this _filthy Elf_ was put in her place, especially when he remembered his underlings talking about the female Elf in a manner that would've earned them the ire of many these Elves. The Orc soon answered the commander's question, " _Aye, my troops are ready to keep going. The gretchins have been going ahead and scouting for us, making sure the Alliance haven't discovered our troops moving through the forest_."

" _That's good_ ," replied Theodmer, pleased to know their movements have gone unnoticed for the time being. He then looked at Kavrala, " _I need you to head down and speak with the officers. Inform them of our intentions to keep moving for the night. We'll stop when the sun begins to rise in the morning, am I clear?_ "

She saluted the commander, " _Yes, sir!_ "

Without another word, the female Dark Elf had left the Orc and the Dark Elf commander alone. The Orc spoke up when the woman was finally out of range of being able to hear them, " _Dark Elf, I must_ _question_ _your_ _decision to allow your own_ _flesh and blood to be your second-in-command?_ "

Theodmer sighed, knowing this conversation was bound to come up. Ever since the death of his wife to a plague that had struck their lands, Theodmer had been alone in raising Kavrala and it was made even more difficult when considering his position as a high-ranking officer in Olga Discordia's military. His decision to groom her into becoming a member of the military was a decision that wasn't taken too well by many of the others but understood his reasoning for doing so.

As father, he wanted his daughter to make her own choices in life, but given the situation where he would be gone for long periods of time to wage war in the name of their queen, it was difficult for him to leaver Kavrala behind.

" _I know you Orcs hardly care for the young_ ," Theodmer replied in a bitter tone, remembering the stories about how Orcs ate their own kind if they proved too weak to survive. " _There was no one I could trust to raise my daughter, especially when the_ _war between the Loyalist and Rebels had gone into full swing. She has proven to be an effective commander, even if her methods are a bit...different than what the men are used to._ "

Gazbag scoffed, " _Even if that's true, bringing a child onto the battlefield is the last thing you want to do._ "

" _What about you Orcs?_ " Theodmer glared at the Orc commander, " _Isn't your species solely capable of raping and pillaging? Nothing but mindless acts equivalent to that of an animal, commander Gazbag._ "

While his daughter Kavrala could barely hide her disgust around the Orcs, Theodmer learned that it was best to keep his personal hatred for their vile race locked up during this conflict. Unfortunately, Gazbag was one of the Orc leaders known for his infamous temper around Dark Elves and the use of bold strategies using Drakes, a breed of wingless dragons, to outmaneuver an enemy force and rip them to shreds.

Contrary to popular belief, there were a certain of Orcs capable of conversing with any of the major races on the continent. Gazbag, one of the older Orcs in their ranks, had been alive for well over three hundred years, which was more than enough time to learn languages of each race and strategies for waging war.

To Theodmer's surprise, he had come to learn Gazbag was actually one of the more passive Orc chieftains in their ranks after hearing rumors about the orcs fighting in the eastern side of the continent were far more brutal. He was even surprised to learn Gazbag thought twice about angering the chieftain assigned to take the fortresses of Thorn and Rad. Although, the Dark Elf commander heard their forces were having a tough time against the Alliance as their enemy was still holding strong against the tide of monsters and Dark Elves pouring into the region.

" _Commander Theodmer!_ "

When Theodmer heard someone call out to him, he turned around and saw a Dark Elf soldier running towards him, appearing to be in some kind of hurry.

" _Yes, captain?_ " the commander asked, wondering what was wrong with his subordinate.

The captain looked to be out of breath and used the tree to hold himself up, " _Sir, one of the scouts reported about a human trading convoy, roughly forty wagons, is heading in our direction!_ "

Gazbag and Theodmer looked at each other, neither of them knew if this convoy was a trap or if the Alliance was dumb enough to send a convoy around this time of the year.

" _I must admit; the Seven Shields Alliance must be getting desperate to keep their cities supplied if they're willing to send a convoy of that size_ ," the Orc commented, feeling anxious to get down there and see what prizes await for his troops. " _We must take advantage of this opportunity to further starve out the Alliance_."

Seeing the grin on the Orc's face, Theodmer had a feeling of what might happen to some of the humans in the convoy. Usually, the Dark Elf commander looked the other way whenever they attacked a convoy or manage to stumble upon a human settlement in their path. His men usually allowed the Orcs to do as they pleased with the survivors from the battle.

Though, it did get a bit annoying whenever his men complained about the Orcs and all the ' _noise_ ' they made with the ' _prisoners_ ' after a battle.

' _Well, it's been a few weeks since the Battle of Marne_ ,' Theodmer thought, realizing his troops were probably wanting some action after all the marching they've done in the last three weeks. Looking back at his captain, Theodmer gave them their new orders.

" _Start preparing the men, we're going to take that convoy._ "

As he watched the captain rush back to their men, Theodmer felt like something was wrong tonight. He couldn't figure out exactly what it was that made him nervous about this attack on the convoy.

Let's hope tonight would end in an effortless victory…

 **...**

 **Black Fortress, Kingdom of Garan**

 **THE NEXT MORNING**

' ** _Why would you save me?'_**

' _ **...Do I need a reason to save a young child like yourself?'**_

' _ **I-I guess not.'**_

' _ **Don't worry, my child. I'll always protect you.'**_

Olga always feared the day when her incompetence would get someone killed, and it looks like the first one to die because of her inability to think carefully, was the last person on the continent she didn't want to lose. Chloe was the closest thing Olga had to a daughter, even if the young Dark Elf was never aware of how she was viewed in the eyes of their ruler. It's why Olga had refused to leave her personal chambers since the attack last night as she couldn't stand to let anyone see just how much the potential death of her most loyal servant affected her.

' _M-Maybe it's my punishment for everything I've done_ ,' Olga thought, wondering if such a thing like karma truly existed and was finally doing something to balance out the horrors she's inflicted upon her kingdom and its people.

She wanted to believe Chloe had somehow survived whatever had happened over there but Olga didn't want to risk losing any more lives against _whatever_ lies in the mountains to the west of her fortress. If those creatures were a taste of what is to come, it would be better for Olga to prepare her people for an attack as everything pointed to those things being scouts or testing her defenses. In the end, she knew their appearance was only going to be the beginning of something much, much worse and it terrified Olga to know something might be heading towards them.

When she took over as the queen of Garan, Olga knew everyone was battered and bruised from the decades of civil war which plagued their lands as the war against the humans had taken its toll on their race. Both sides wanted to end hostilities with the humans but they quickly realized the other side had a very different opinion on how to do such a thing, leading to conflict breaking out between them. The atrocities committed by both sides was something Olga could never forget as it became a reason why she wanted to end the conflict consuming the land they called home.

"I wonder what Chloe would say to me..." the queen could already imagine her servant doing her best to motivate Olga, saying she's doing the very best she can to help their people through such a difficult time and to remain strong for everyone around her. Or, that's what she wants to assume the young Dark Elf would say to her.

Everything appeared to be going wrong for the queen and her dying race, a big reason why she had to turn to the horde of monsters known as the Legion to help fill the ranks of her depleted army.

It's reached the point where her advisors, people she's supposed to be able to trust to give her advice on the situations facing their kingdom, thought there was little hope for their future and could only warn her against further accelerating their extinction. Olga remembered dismissing nearly two-thirds of her advisors on that day, declaring she had no need for people unwilling to believe they had a future in this world. Although, the young woman could feel the sense of dread worming its way into her heart, making Olga truly question her ability to do anything as a ruler when the odds are stacked against her as they are right now.

As she was caught up in her personal thoughts, Olga hadn't noticed when a knock on the door until she heard the door to her chambers slowly creak open, revealing what appeared to be a young woman who didn't look any older than twenty-five in the eyes of any human.

"Katra, I already said I'm not to be bothered," Olga said, narrowing her eyes at the young knight who had entered her chambers. "What about that order didn't you understand?"

The young knight did her best to not wilt under the glare from her queen, "My apologies, your grace. I was sent by the royal council to inform you about a... _recent_ development. I believe it's best if you head down to the war room."

Usually, Olga's orders were always followed without much protest as everyone knew it was better to avoid her wrath than do anything to incur it. For the council to ignore such a thing, it meant whatever the situation they were facing was something more serious than some local criminal or rogue orc band in her kingdom. In the back of her mind, Olga fears it might have something to do with the events that took place last night between the monsters under command and those strange creatures who attacked them.

"Let the council know I'll be down there in a few minutes," Olga told her, secretly fearing for the safety of her people. "I don't think they want to be kept waiting too long."

When Katra finished speaking, the young knight bowed and excused herself, saying she didn't want to take up any more of the queen's time. Just like before, Olga was left alone once more as the young knight left her room and was most likely standing just outside the door. Olga suspected she was going to escort her down to the war room, wondering if she was one of the warriors selected by Chloe to keep watch over her.

The young woman decided to save those thoughts for later, knowing it would be impolite to keep _her_ royal council waiting any longer as she suspected there was going to be much to discuss. Olga didn't take long to get herself ready as she had no real maids to assist her, which had more to do with their dwindling numbers than anything else. It certainly made her keep feel more empty than usual, and the only real people who walked around were either guards assigned there or the few monsters deemed disciplined enough to assist the guards.

As she walked towards the door, Olga could only hope her desire to save their race was shared by her advisors, feeling as if a storm was heading towards them and they were, unfortunately, in its path.

She just wishes they're able to survive whatever this storm may throw against them…

* * *

 **Yeah, I don't think the people of Garan are ready for I'm about to throw at them, especially Olga.**

 **So, uh, I actually updated this story after weeks without much activity on my account. First, I have stuff to take care of in the real world so that takes priority over fanfiction. Second, I haven't had much motivation to write anything these last few months but I've been feeling the itch to write since I have the time and energy to do so.**

 **You can, hopefully, expect another chapter coming soon as the title of this chapter gives you an idea as to what's coming for Olga and her people!**


End file.
